A Baby Boomer looks at health, finance, retirement, grown-up children and ... how time flies.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Baby Boomers Are the Most Selfish ...

I recently received this anonymous response to one of my blog posts, and it seemed to come out of nowhere:

"You Baby Boomers are the most selfish generation to ever exist. You
destroyed your own children's and grandchildren's future with your
short-sighted selfishness and immaturity. And then you expect them to
pay for your retirement???? Can you baby boomers just hurry up and drop dead, please!"

So what's your reaction to this comment? My first reaction was to discount it, pass it off as the rant of some loser Gen Xer. It might even be a spam-type message, for I know at least one other Baby Boomer blogger who got the exact same note.

But then, I thought, let me try to put myself into the position of someone who's in their 30s. Someone, like this person, who probably has a couple of kids, and maybe a job and a house and a mortgage. So if I were in my 30s, what would I think of Baby Boomers?

Then . . .

I'd think: You Baby Boomers are the most selfish generation to ever exist . . . and you expect me to
pay for your retirement?!?

First of all, ever since I can remember, all my friends and I have ever heard about in the media is Baby Boomer this, Baby Boomer that. As if they are the only people who exist. The only people who are interesting. The people who "changed the world."

And then there are the '60s. Vietnam, protest marches, the Beatles, the moon landing, Woodstock. Jeez! I mean, how long do we have to listen to this stuff before everyone gets totally bored with it all!

By the way, there's something you should know. We outnumber you guys. Generation X has 82 million people. The Baby Boom, at its peak, only counted 76 million self-involved, narcissistic individuals -- before, you know, you started dying off. (Believe it or not, approximately 11 million of the original Baby Boomers have died; replaced by about the same number of similar-age immigrants over the years.)

You have JFK, RFK, LBJ and MLK. Who do we have? George H.W. Bush. Now, maybe GHWB was an okay president. He presided over the end of the Cold War. But inspiring? Now there's a laugh! He was the guy who didn't know about the vision thing, right?

And what was the seminal event in our young lives? 9/11. Was there a great national patriotic cry for anything after 9/11? No, there was a great national cry to . . . go shopping. Just as the economy was going into the toilet. Hey, Baby Boomer, how would you like to have been trying to get your first job during the post-9/11, post-Internet bubble recession of 2000 - 2002?

Which brings me to the economy, and opportunity, and employment and the great income divide. I was born in 1978. I got out of college into the teeth of the early 2000s recession, and I ended up with a college degree, and a job that, just maybe, required a 10th grade education.

But you know what? I got married. My spouse also had a job. And with two decent incomes we were able to get a mortgage and buy a house, and take that first step toward the American Dream. In 2006. Thank you very much. My $300,000 house is now worth, maybe, on a good day, about $260,000.

Meanwhile, my paycheck has barely kept up with inflation -- so I'm not really making any more money than I was my first year out of college. Meanwhile, I'm paying taxes for Social Security and Medicare -- which by the way includes an automatic inflation increase for you guys -- even though the prospects that I will be collecting Social Security when I retire in 30 years are slim to none. What do they say? Social Security will have the funds to pay out 75 percent of its obligations after it "goes bust" in 2033. So, Baby Boomers, thanks for the 25 percent pay cut.

Oh, and by the way, you guys are retiring at age 66. But because of the accident of my birth I have to work an extra year, to age 67, before I'm eligible for my full retirement benefit . . . which as I just pointed out will not be a full benefit, but something more like three-quarters of a benefit.

. . . and now.

And now we have a kid. We love her, no doubt. But what will college tuition cost when she's ready to head off to college? Last figure I saw was $44,000 a year for a public university, and $96,000 a year for a private college. Plus, of course, room and board. Are they kidding?

Meanwhile, you Baby Boomers moan and groan about the Great Recession and how it cut your career short, and decimated your retirement savings, and made your lives oh-so-terrible. I've read a few blogs where Baby Boomers complain about how they got "downsized" when they were 50 or 55, because of "age discrimination," and then they were never able to find another job that would be interesting, challenging and "appropriate for their skill level." Again, because of "age discrimination." Did you ever think your new-found unemployment could be due to your outmoded skills and your we're-better-than-everybody-else attitude?

Well, I've spent the last five years networking and researching and exploring and training and trying to find a better job. But the better opportunities just are not there. That's partly because of the lousy economy. According to The Atlantic, it's not the Baby Boomers (especially when you consider that the worst blow to Baby Boomers was the stock market, which has now recovered to its former highs and thereby has replenished Baby Boomers' retirement nest eggs), but their children and grandchildren who suffered most during the Great Recession of 2007-9.

We have a higher rate of unemployment than Baby Boomers and we have had been unable to move up the career ladder at anywhere near the rate of our forebears. Why? In part because of the lingering effects of the Great Recession. But let's look at another factor. Despite the fact that many Baby Boomers have retired early, plenty of other Baby Boomers are holding onto their overpaid positions for dear life. No way are they ready or willing -- to paraphrase one of those Baby Boomer heroes -- to pass the torch on to a new generation of Americans.

So, Baby Boomers, like a said, stop being so damn selfish. Stop ruining your children's future. Can you Baby Boomers just hurry up and . . . well, I don't wish for anyone to drop dead. But, please, please stop complaining. You don't appreciate just how lucky you are. Stop thinking you're God's gift to history, and stop taking credit for saving the world -- because you didn't, you've left a lot of work yet to be done.

Interesting. I (61) always thought similar things of my parents' generation; IF they came back from WW II--and I am not minimizing that--they got a free education and practically free starter home, and a set-up to allow the mother to stay home, thus (half) creating the Baby Boom to begin with. As a Baby Boomer, I felt that I had to compete for everything, from education to jobs, which I admit, I didn't do so well. I didn't persevere enough.

It's interesting to hear basically the same tune from the next generation.

I think it is typical of the 'entitled generation' i.e.GenXers to be blaming someone, anyone or anything for their own problems. The only fault I can see that the baby Boomers are guilty of, is creating this 'entitled generation' themselves by giving their stupid kids everything on the planet. Now, that these 'kids' may face a world of doom and gloom, they would rather blame their parents then themselves.Just google 'die boomer die' and see all the filth that pops up. Pathetic! Just make sure you Baby Boomers leave your ungrateful kids nothing. I'm not!If there is anything those GenXers should be blaming it's that poor-excuse-for-a-president they helped elect. Obama has done nothing for them and now that the truth is out, those GenXers must feel like idiots. Naturally, of course, they are looking for someone to blame. Rather than themselves.GenXers got a raw deal on health care costs, students loans, jobs, savings, retirement.....the list goes on and on.You made your own bed, guys. Now, lie in it. If you think your life will get better when we Bay Boomers drop off and die, you're going to be let down yet once again.

As a WWII baby, I have never liked the oldest Baby Boomers very much. Probably because their parents were so happy to see both the Depression and war end, they spoiled these kids., hence the ungrateful attitude in the horrible 1960s.

My opinion of course, my baby brother is an older boomer born in 1947, and took up drugs and dropped out. Today, he receives Medicare and SS.

However, that said, boomers are NOT all in that earliest birth cohorts. My kids fall at the end of the boom, born in 1961, 1963 and 1965. Of course I think they are wonderful. They worry about how they will make ends meet in old age.

Probably not good to lump individuals into groups. There are always examples who are outliers from their birth cohorts, be they millennialist, genXers or whatever.

I never knew that Baby Boomers had saved the world. Did we? Never, not for a minute. We left a great big heap of doodah behind for the next generation to clear up before they drop their own doodah for the generation following them.

That young GenXer needs to stop whinging. All the young I know travel the world at the drop of a hat, never save a penny and leave half their food uneaten on their plates.

My gen saved every penny they could spare, were careful with what they had and never bought anything until they had the money to pay for it.

Gen X got a raw deal economically, but is that any different from those growing up, trying to find jobs and survive during the Depression? Few generations are lucky enough to get through life without economic hardships and/or war or other difficulties. Boomers have been more vocal and publicized than past generations...

Each generation has it's own set of problems. I'm not inclined to blame anyone for why wages and opportunities seem to be lagging. If I want something I still believe I can work hard and get it. This might be foolish thinking, but it helps me get out of bed in the morning.

I do like it when there is this intergenerational warfare going on. I definitely don't think our generation needs to be ashamed of itself. On the other hand I do have children and know their friends who belong to a younger generation and I really think a lot of them, they are good people. I think the people who hate, fill in the blank _______, generation should get to know people who belong to that generation. That way it is not so easy to demonize the other.

I don't know about you but this Baby Boomer had various jobs from the time he turned 16, graduated from high school, enlisted in (and served 4 years... okay, 3 years, 11 months), got a job after leaving the navy, got married, had a child, made a career out of being a tech for the Bell System, bought a house, moved and moved and moved, buying and selling houses as I went, in order to continue in my job. It's called life and, for the record (as my mother often said) life isn't fair. All you can do is plod along, put what money you can into savings (especially a 401K) and hope for the best. I was lucky, I got a pension (a small one) and Gen Xers likely won't (they'll have to rely on those savings). But it isn't my fault or the fault of my peers, it's the luck of the draw... I'll repeat this one more time: Life isn't fair.

Judy, yes that was me quoted in the Kiplinger Retirement Report. Actually, I think they did a good job with the article. I'd put up a link, but it's not available online; you have to sign up for the newsletter.

Denise, I agree our music was pretty awesome -- as I outlined in my post That Old Rock 'n Roll Music. But I also like the music of the 90s, which was introduced to me by my kids -- Pearl Jam, REM, U2, Radiohead, Dave Matthews; I even once went to a Rage Against the Machine concert with my son -- now there was a blast!

Anyway, I agree with the general concensus that each generation has its own opportunities and challenges; and we just have to live with them. Like someone once said: If you want fair, go live on a Kibbutz.

Hmm. I also am a fairly early baby boomer, being born in 52. I did protest (heck I still protest), I did do drugs-what can I say, I went to school in New Haven Conn in the late sixties to early seventies. I'm not sure for this discussion that I consider the sixties a terrible time whatsoever. I guess it depends on your perspective. I still got jobs, married, had kids and rely on a pension, and yes social security.

As the parent of an unemployed twenty something who has returned to school for a second degree, I also feel his pain.

And for what its worth, that guy has commented on my blog more than once. I just delete it.

Our only born in 1977 she works like hell and saves every damn dime she has ever received as gifts we are jewish she got gifts of money and checks her entire life, never spent a dime! She has a great education and is single and travels with the job she was lucky to get in film..She never wants to actually own a home, lives in NYC with relatives their buiding, one spoiled cat..No mate, doesn't want to marry and have kids, she is faithful,kind and loving to us her parents..She helps everyone out with their babies and is wise and kind..The friends call her in times of great financial and emotional crisis she is calm and collected, she helps them out and figures out budgets and watches and dotes on their only children, she is an only and to tell the truth what a gal..she is everything a parent could have ever hoped for..She doesn't hunger for things, rather than experiences and loves and is loved by many..She sees no reason to screw others to get anything rather she is the aunt for the kiddos and sister they never ever had! What a terrifice daughter and human being..We don't run her at all, we are like the 3 musqueteers all for one and one for all, peace, joy and happiness..Most of my friends are retiring in droves this year at 66 and happy as hell, they will take what they saved and social security too, they want some time to enjoy the remaining years, life is precious indeed, caio!

"Loser GenXer" here (how charming of you). I'm also, through no fault of my own, a single mom whose parents have decided they have better things to do than, say, get to know their grandchildren, let alone help out in any fashion or think ahead to college. I don't know why I'm surprised; they were so busy pleasing themselves that they abandoned their own kids. My brother was actually homeless for months as a teen because my parents couldn't be bothered to communicate with each other, and would get tired of him and ship him off to the other one...so when one of them had gone to live abroad for months, oops.

Both of them have dumped care of their own parents, in old age, on others. As soon as my mom shanghaied her own mother into a home, she sold my grandma's apartment and took off on a cruise. I thought maybe her mom would at least get decent treatment, but no. My daughter had been willing to give my mom, her absentee grandma, a pass, till that moment. Now? Too much true colors for Gen Z. Wants nothing to do with her.

And tonight I find out that dad and his second ex-wife just gave all the grandkids' inheritance away. It made him feel good, you know, to give it to a conservation effort. How lovely for him.

I hope he's kept enough to pay for excellent long-term nursing care, because I won't be looking after him or arranging his care. I'll be having a nice rest at that point from having raised a child on my own, while also working to pay for all her activities and childcare, and finding scholarships for her camps, and getting her through school and through college without a debt millstone around her neck, and keeping her involved in community in the absence of grandparents, actual family, who give a damn.

I wish I could say this is the only story like this I know, but it isn't. Your generation's attitude is truly a scourge. And no, don't try to pass it off as 'this happens in every generation', because you know who's still trying to make up for you? Your parents.

That's right. Your aged, surviving parents are still trying to do the family work you've abandoned, reaching over you to the next generations. It's terrible, I listened for years to my 80-something grandma taking a break from her nebulizer and trying to figure out ways of helping us. She already raised kids and helped with grandchildren.

All this stuff you guys take credit for -- environmental whosis and so on -- you know, when I really take a look, it wasn't you. You guys went out and made a lot of noise and demanded this and that. But the people who actually made it go, who had the legislation waiting and put it through and made it operate...those were your parents.

The ugly stuff that was supposed to be my generation? The Alex P. Keatons? That was you guys, your invention. Milton Friedman was your man. The oligarchy that exists today, wrecking the republic...that comes from 1980, my friends. I was in elementary school then, but y'all were voting. The whittling away at children's programs, university grants, even the GI bill...that was you.

This GenXer: not impressed by your performance. Your folks? Hell yeah. You guys, not so much.

I blame the new deal generation more than the baby boomers. Not only because they raised the baby boomers to be so selfish, but most of the legislation that has doomed America was passed under their watch, e.g. The Immigration Act of 1965, which effectively opened America to third world colonization. The economic effects are obvious.

The Baby Boomer generation cannot claim the Civil Rights Movement as a contribution to society...the majority of them were children during that time. That work primarily came from the ending of the "Silent Generation." Baby Boomers are more like the Ronald Reagan worshipers who complain about welfare recipients while their employers received enormous tax breaks from the government during the '80s, '90s and first decade of the 21st century, while deregulating the financial services industry throughout all three decages. Greed is NOT good, President Reagan worshipers...it is the root of all evil.

The baby boomers have also made it exceedingly difficult for the next generation to get on the property ladder, either by being priced out of the market, or by being severely restricted by the raft of planning laws. For example, in a bid to find alternative cheap housing many people in their early 30's are now looking to set up tiny homes on cheap rural land they bought, only have the baby boomers in their McMansion holiday homes complaining because they think they own the view.

We baby boomers are the only generation that truly changed history and saved the world. Not since agriculture was invented 12,000 years ago has such a paradigm shift occurred...and agriculture wasn't created by a single generation like the 60s revolution was. We are truly the only generation that matters at all because we created environmentalism, civil rights, peace, free expression and a whole lot more. Phil

The majority of baby boomers I encounter seem to look upon Millenials and GenXers as some group of rascally kids that they don't want to be involved with. I would just like for boomers to keep in mind that we are paying for your retirement. Yes, some of you saved and scrounged, but you can hardly say that is a generational trait. I, on the other hand, have to look every day at my meager pittance of a wage and see if there is any bit I can afford to put into a 401k (I'm lucky to have one, most of my friends do not). The benefits baby boomers receive from the government in the form of subsidies is close to 15k more than most millenials make. You really think that's fair? And at the same time, they rail against social programs for anyone outside of their age range. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a calculated attempt to slowly phase out the program that has benefitted them so much so that they can squeeze every little bit out before the next generation comes along. The bottom line: it's easy to say we "made our bed" when many of us have only been of legal voting age for 5 years or less. Not much time to make our so-called bed, huh?

I cringe everytime a baby boomer brings up the 60s, Vietnam war, and their involvement in protesting against it. Give me a break! Those that protested were minority (although vocal) by every definition. No matter how you measure it. The baby boomer generation is still an ignorant, narcissistic, entitled segment of our population. It is only getting worse once they started to becoming righteous old farts demanding respect and repayment for their sh*tty parenting.

As a 60 year old Baby Boomer I would like to point out that many, maybe most , baby boomers were not spoiled. By todays standards, we were horribly abused. Many fathers, mine included, were more like a tyrant who was cold, distant, and quick with temper. He would swoop down and administer punishment severely and often, including beatings with a belt. This was common at the time, and we lived in fear of our fathers. There was no such thing as child empowerment, and there were teachers we were afraid of too.Today, kids have been empowered over adults, and they know nothing of punishment, only praise. This is why young people today complain about bullying, because the only thing they fear is each other. Thats right, there was less bullying with baby boomers because we knew it was bad, as do kids today. Differnece is we were afraid of repercussions, and modern kids are not. Why should they? They have never been hit or yelled at.The only pain they feel is from each other, because a lack of fear or punishment has them bully away to each other. Lack of punishment creates fun childhoods, for the cute ones at least, but there is a price to pay, isn't there always?.The housing problem is going to get much , much worse. Baby boomers told their kids they could do whatever they wanted, so they didn't choose construction work. Out of work liberal arts of comm major anyone? What, no takers? LOL With a shortage of skilled tradesmen what happens,? The price of what they do goes up. Thus if you want the future just look at NYC and San Francisco house prices and any desirable and growing city in the USA is going to do the same. So if boomers kids want to continue complaining about their parents, they will have to do it while riding on a two hour bus ride to work, because thats how far out they will have to go to afford a house. Have fun in your desert bungalow., which , by the way you have to share with another family. HA! No work no get. You think you are entitled to a house if you don't build it yourself? or barter from doing something else useful- and that doesn't including being a TV producer wanna be, or other such glam field, because your middle class parents forgot to tell you, that those fun and easy jobs are only for the rich and connected, or top 4 percent in looks , so that pretty much leaves you out , doesn't it? Or at least 96 percent of you . Na Na nanana

As a millenial I find it so aggravating to listen to boomers talk about how they got a raw deal. When a baby boomer entered the work force they could expect to earn the equivalent of 47-50k per year in todays economy. I wish my career started on such a high note. Unfortunately many of the jobs that would have been available to this generation have been outsoruced (by and large by members of the boomer generation) to 3rd world countries where employees can be brutally exploited for next to nothing. Enjoy the fact that your generation has been the most priviledged generation of all time and try if you can to leave a few scraps for the rest of us. Sickening.

As a Gen Xer I also find it extremely frustrating to hear a boomer complain about my generation. You talk about strict fathers who administered beatings? Ah poor thing. We also had fathers who administered beatings with a belt or fist, mostly because they were so stressed out from being a single parent. Mom wanted to run off with a younger guy smoke dope and just live her life. And now that we are parents do we get the same kind of support that you got from yours? No! You're too busy driving your RV around the country with your new wife and Grandma is too baked to be trusted with a baby. She doesn't want to watch a baby, she's want to party! Never trust anyone over 70. So shut the F*&K up boomers! You had it so easy with your two parent households.

"let me try to put myself into the position of someone who's in their 30. Someone, like this person, who probably has a couple of kids, and maybe a job and a house and a mortgage."

No, no, NO! Stop right there. WE HAVE NONE OF THIS BY THAT AGE

By 30, we have student debts The size of the SUN. We're paying property rent for the elite class that's thrown the combined property to debt ratio into a 3:1 turmoil.

We've been slaving our fuckin' asses off for your sorry asses, for your retirement that's going to deplete every government of its social support infrastructure. You've driven this country into so much goddamn debt, THERE IS NO FAMILY UNIT ANYMORE.

So shut the fuck up, and die. You've fucked us so much kmore than that.

Some very emotive stuff here, but I agree with the general point that the baby boomers are the 'entitled' generation. I'm in my 40s and don't expect to have a requirement anywhere near as comfortable as my parents, id be amazed if I don't die before I can get a state pension.

Who I really feel sorry for are my children, the baby boomers are awful grandparents, they want everything arranged for them around their lazy days watching television or jetting off to their retirement villa who nobody else in the family is allowed to use. The next 30 years are going to be awful until we reach a balanced demographic again

I feel awful for people born to baby boomers who haven't realized yet what their parents are all about, even going so far as to defend them. Do you idiots think anybody else would have been so selfish to sell our manufacturing to China for a few pennies per unit or to have enabled Wall Street? No way jose. My parent's generation is selfish for a reason: ignorance. It is hard to blame them for what they did to us decades ago, problem is today when I speak to baby boomers there are still a sizable majority who've spent millions of inheritance money and lost it yet still have money to spare and a home. These same people are leaving zero to their children, have helped their children in no truly helpful way, and yet STILL blame their kids for where they are or aren't. There are boomer women who have never held jobs in their life, yet sit aroundall day doing nothing other than criticizing their waitress over under-browned toast. I know of perhaps 3 kids of boomers who are not living vastly different lives their parents lead. Vastly poorer. That's one generation. Who else is to blame? God? The weather? Just from my local boomer generation i could point to you 20 men who fired hundreds of workers and started working with china or india, who would tell you today it was not worth the savings in the end and it killed their companies by reducing quality and washing out any reputation or exclusivity. But they were thinking only of themselves and the few extra bucks in their own pockets, not the long term betterment of all... selfish... or greedy... which i guess is financial selfishness. Hey, do you think so many retail companies would be going broke if those mofos gave a damned?! They would have hired younger guys who understood the web, but that would have been generous with their power, god forbid. If you ever ask what is wrong with the world today I can tell you, it was the boomers who screwed it up by thinking they didn't belong. They were holier-than thou. Nothing could touch them. And they'd even sacrifice their marriage and all of their family members to maintain that illusion. Maddoff IS the baby boomer template. He is hardly unique. Most people could not live such a lie, they wouldn't want to, nor care to, nor see the point.... boomers would not see a problem. Living a lie stealing from people who trusted them? No problem to a boomer is they get a photo opp with a senator now and then. No problem at all. They wouldn't second guess it for 1 split second, they wouldn't actually enjoy doing it for more than 10 seconds, but they'd never stop. The mask cannot fall, not on a boomer.

I am a boomer. I am blown away by anonymous. Your anger is so huge and I am sorry for whatever caused it. I suspect you had a family much like mine. After being overwhelmed and "controlled" by my emotions in my 20s and 30s, I realized that my anger was not touching or changing my parents, but harming me. I got a brilliant therapist (paid for through insurance from my job as a secretary and my own money, spending about $30,000 of my income so I could try to have a life). Now, I am finally down to forgiveness, to forgive them, but mainly for me. It seems the only way out of this rage tent I have lived in for so long. I understand being so full of rage I could hardly function, and too damn articulate for my own good! I hope you get to a place where you can use your obviously insightful intelligence, excellent verbal ability, logical thinking and great memory for your self and your family.Believe me, if you don't find a way out of this, you will be like a cook making the same rage cake over and over and the bitterness will always be there.

I'm a Gen X'er who started working at 15 (officially, legally, odd jobs before that) but was constantly asked to work for free during college and grad school by baby boomers who called it "getting experience from interning" when they really meant they wanted free labor to file things and do grunt work. I would pass those "opportunities" as no one really needs experience to file things- not a particularly advanced skill. What a bunch of cheap, spoiled, narcissistic jerks. Ironically, the same cheap and exploitative boomers would brag about all of their human rights accomplishments. None of us in the younger generations buy that bunk. We know that only a handful of boomers actually stood up for civil rights or anything else, so we wish the majority would stop trying to get credit for something they didn't do. The best most boomers did is smoke some pot and think they were rebelling with some mediocre music. We're not that impressed. It's obvious that most boomers are too selfish to have actually stood up for other people. What bothers me the most is that about 50% of my friends growing up had boomer parents who divorced for some of the most selfish, childish reasons you could imagine, not just deadbeat dads but deadbeat moms as well, and yet the boomer generation wants to pretend they are the responsible members of society. Most of the ones I observed growing up were less mature than their own children, and my friends bought the groceries, took care of their siblings, and raised themselves and took care of older relatives while their "parents" cracked their families apart and couldn't be bothered to worry about the kids or anyone else. Those same boomers now want everyone else to wait on them hand and foot in old age. I and my friends, now successful adults despite the cards we were dealt when younger, don't feel particularly obligated to bend over backwards for one of the most whiny and entitled generations imaginable. The millennials are even less interested in a bunch of self-absorbed buffoons who should have gained some character in their older age but have still, for the most part, not managed it. Selfish doesn't begin to cover it.

I, too am a baby-boomer, born in the early 1950's, but was not what many of today's younger generation(s) think of baby-boomers. I did not participate in protests and causes, didn't go to the original Woodstock, and had a rotten social life, due to being regularly ostracized and made fun of, due to some developmental and learning problems. I had my own baggage to carry around, so that's why I never participated, and, moreover, I'm glad of it. Yet, I'm glad that Chapter 766 was not yet in existence during the 50's and 60's, when I was growing up, because things would've been even suckier for me if it had been in existence.

So, with the help of my parents and other family, I managed to make a good life for myself, I worked for a number of years in the customer service of a local book publishing department, after going to school and learning to be a silversmith. I was eventually outsourced from my job, when things changed, which was a blessing in disguise, for I'm better off for it. I've cultivated other interests, such as exotic birds, walking, martial arts, older classical movies, and bicycling. When I began living away from home, and meeting people with other viewpoints, my viewpoints began to change, especially when the disastrous Federal Court-mandated school busing edict that came to Boston took Boston by storm, beginning in the mid 1970's, a storm that lasted for more than a decade.

As for my parents; my dad passed away from a rare but fatal form of encephalitis, but my mom's still alive, and she has a wonderful relationship with us, and her grandchildren; meaning both my sister's two (now grown) sons, and my brother and sister-in-law's two young kids; a 14 year old son, and a 12-year old daughter.

Despite having gone through some tough times due to my problems, I'm glad I'm who I am, and was born when I was born.

we too blamed the previous generation for so many things; racial and class discrimination, religious hypocrisy, war, pollution, etc. but we our noisiest protests were usually against the establishment, industrial military complex, "the man." we won some battles, but it seems we lost the war. we probably lost a quarter to drugs, a quarter to greed, most decided to concentrate on raising a family. is the war really over? is "the man" supreme?

I just came across this post, here's my 2-cents. I'm employed at a major University (no not that one) it's heart breaking to see all the young students under such tremendous pressure. They've already postponed childhood/teen years to accomplish the long list of requirements in order to get into a top-notch public college. Their parents are mortgaging the family home to help pay for their child's education, yet the majority will graduate in debt (average $40,000). Colleges & Universities primary social events are focused on alumni instead of students, trying to get maximum donations to the old alma mater. The average rent in this town cost more than the down payment on our first homes. It's not even remotely similar to the good old days... In California BBoomers like myself pay 1978 property tax rate.

I'm a early boomer and wish I could be around for the time you young ones are our age. Oh, wait, there won't be enough of the younger generation to complain about you. Your generation is not even replacing yourselves and you call us selfish? See what's happening in China lately? Anyway, just had to get that off my chest but truly, every generation has complaints about the last. Instead of complaining, how about working toward a better future and taking responsibility for yourselves instead of blaming the past.

Like we had a choice what generation we were born into. Good Lord! You can't put everyone into a box, and label it, we are all individuals, and we are all different. I had to quit working way before I should have to care for both my elderly parents, and my dad died in 2013, at the age of 94, and I am still caring for my mother who will be 95 this month, and you have the right to call me selfish, because I am in that Baby Boomer box? I am far from selfish, I have given up my own life to care for my parents and keep them together as long as possible, and out of nursing homes. I myself will probably end up in one, because I don't see my own kids giving anything up to help me. I have no more savings, my own health is failing from all the stress, and my Social Security isn't going to be enough to put a roof over my head after my mother dies. I hope to go back to work as a hairdresser, which what I did for 40 years, I pray to God, I will still be able to after all is said, and done.

You boomers can't fathom why people hate you because you never had to grow up. You have been the largest voting block in this country, so whenever you wanted something you threw a temper tantrum, got it and then rationalized when the reality of you ruining three generations after you with nothing but sheer hubris. In fact, three generations wasn't enough for you, you had to drag half a million people from all over the world into to your over-inflated sense of entitlement and self-importance. Know that everyone in you family not your age secretly hates you, and history will remember you the same as the patrician class in the waning days of the Roman Republic. You are an absolute disgrace.

I read almost all the good points here and it is sad that there is a blame game going on, we are all different people and happy to live the lives we live. But I think the main focus here is that the baby boomer generation lives in such a reality based upon propaganda and mind control. The new generation I'm a part of are beyond that, we created the internet, we created new ways of communication (which is strongly being used by some very old selfish people like the government/MEDIA Industries for their pure profit of exploiting human psychology. We are ready for innovation and ready to kick out all the people of the old ways. We love older people as family but we are sick of their ways. We have the internet now as well as the stories (SO MANY STORIES) due to the internet, but we aren't as lucky if we think we can get anywhere by allowing "FORCED PROPAGANDA" to fuel our minds like television and news papers. Facebook is the new NEWSPAPER by the way, or a masterful dumbing down of society through a so called "family and friends FILTER". Disguises....I see nothing but masks and disguises of horrible things no one seems to talk about. I only see debates...presidential elections, lobbying, profit, fear... this shit is about to end and the older generation should be happy for us, period! Die in peace, we love you but die already, we're ready to evolve.

I happen to be one of those baby-boomers that you and (supposedly everybody else) hates, but you know what? First of all, not all baby-boomers are the same, no matter what you, or anybody else says.

Secondly, I did not participate in all the stuff that was going on back then, since I had my own baggage to carry around.

Thirdly, I'm not responsible for people from all over the world coming here, nor did I make it a point to drag people from halfway around the world into my circle of friends, etc.

Fourth, there are policies that were implemented that were merely band-aide solutions and attempts to treat the symptoms of an ongoing, age-old, deeply-rooted and complex societal problem without really getting at and treating the underlying root causes ( Mandatory school busing is/was an excellent example of that, plus it's also an excellent example of how even good government can screw up, big time, on occasion.)

Fifth, I wasn't interested in the causes that were going on back then, and preferred to lead my own life, an attitude which has carried over to this day. I also don't see anything heroic about going over into what has to be one of the most, if not the most dangerous, unstable and volatile parts of the world, putting oneself directly in harm's way to make a point, and either getting killed or permanently maimed in the process, or crying foul with they end up getting hurt.

I'm 31 years old, and while not all baby boomers are immature, selfish, arrogant, narcissistic greedy assholes, I'd say that the majority of them are.

How stupid are you boomers? You think you can just act like a totally arrogant self righteous asshole to the younger generation and that the younger generation are going to pay taxes to support you?

Many young Americans have emigrated out of the hellhole country of America that your generation destroyed, and are never going to return. Are you going to force us to pay taxes to support your retirement and healthcare, even though we don't physically live in America? Fine. We'll renounce our citizenship. You fuckers made us absolutely ASHAMED to be an American, anyway.

It's ironic that the baby-boomer generation which taught my generation to be modest, respectful, genuine, polite; to use expressions like, "please," "thank you," "excuse me," and to be patient are the most irritable, rude, disrespectful, entitled, disingenuous, pretentious, impolite people who will easily jump to rage and belittle others over the most innocuous and petty things- putting mustard on their fast-food burger when they asked for mayonnaise for example.

And you never hear them use polite expressions like, "please," or "thank you," much less "excuse me." They demand to be treated as though they are royalty, and not for anything admirable which they have done, mind you, but simply because they have been here and haven't died for longer than the rest of us. They will run right over you in the grocery store with their carts, will stare at you, don't pay any attention while driving, drive irresponsibly and make rash decisions based on petty "principles" (i.e. driving 15 mph under the speed limit in the passing lane while break-checking those behind them).

Just the worst generation of dinosaurs. A true stunt in the evolution of mankind. The world will truly be a more peaceful and pleasant, progressive place when they are all gone.

Boomers were spoiled rotten by the Depression Era folks, another despicable generation who sold us all down the river in 1913 with the creation of the Fed and again in 1935 with the SS Act. They absolutely epitomize what it means to be "entitled". At 42, I am sitting on tens of thousands in student loans. The economy bottomed out in 2008 right before I graduated from college, so finding a suitable job has been an absolute nightmare. I finally decided that my place is in the home, educating our children, while my husband runs the rat race, only to be taxed into oblivion to pay for the boomers' retirement (nicely disguised as putting forth money for his social security benefits that he will never see). The boomer generation and the depression era folks brought us nothing but ponzi schemes purely for THEIR benefit. Both generations are willfully ignorant as to the damage that their decisions cause to future generations. They brought us the PC movement, the feminist movement, affirmative action, outsourcing American jobs overseas... among other disgusting things, all the while bitching about how self-centered the Gen Xers are. Folks, have y'all forgotten who raised these Gen Xers? Or should I say, neglected? Work has always been more important. You raised a generation of latchkey kids and gave us no real direction. No wonder we've been flailing and trying to find our places in this cruel world that YOU AND YOUR PARENTS have created.

I think the reason us X'ers (or millennials) are upset (or at least for me) is the way our parents, who are boomers raise us. It's been drilled into my head that if I don't do well in school, work, ect, that I'm a total failure, and my family has told me that multiple times because I'm not very school smart. Perhaps it's a police thing, but my baby boomer father is always telling that I'm a disappointment because long story short, I'm not like him. I "don't think realistically" and that I take everything for granted, which I'll admit I do in some cases. My parents seem to want me to be a mini carbon copy of them, from their views and morals, to their job. And being female isn't helping either, I feel as though I am still not allowed to think for myself as long as I'm around them. to them I'm so liberal hippy who has their head in the clouds because they see and experience the world differently. My father is always saying things like "when I was your age..." or "back then..." and it's like he's stuck in the past and refuses to get out. He's not my age anymore and the world has changed. I only have one job, instead of 3 when he was "my age" and he paid for his own college (where mine is now upwards to 50,000 dollars per semester). I understand that they've been through some tough stuff, but many of these boomers seem to be stuck in the past. One last thing, boomers seem to be very realistic people, perhaps too realistic. When I told my father my career choice, he turned into the father from dead poet's society who'd son committed suicide, which is ironically the same career i want. He constantly yells at me about my career choices and goals and tries to plan out my life, and is determined to make me stay in this same 2,000 populated town for the rest of my life. I've also had a heart transplant which has caused me to suffer greatly from depression. He doesn't see it as a disease, he sees it as an attitude, a wave of emotion that just comes and goes. He sees it as an excuse to call me lazy, worthless, and has even told me "That baby that gave you that heart didn't die for you to be a lazy piece of garbage". So it's understandable to me, why Gen X isn't too fond of the boomers

I am a young man whose parent's died at the age of six because of the filthy, disgusting, and utterly selfish world your sick twisted generation created, but by the grace of God i was fortunate to be raised by my grandparents, when not one single rat baby boomer would take me in and i am eternally grateful for it because the showed me the correct way to live, to save my money and purchase only what i could afford and not take loan after loan until it could never be paid back, to put family and loyalty to my wife and children above all else all the while watching the results of your degenerate generation rip apart the fabric of the family and reduce the word to near nothingness. Yours is a faithless ugly cowardly honorless ignorant selfish hypocritical worthless generation that condemned the greatest generation your PARENTS!!! To abusive and neglectful nursing homes and you destroyed the world they fought and died and suffered in silence to build for you and us. The only thing you worthless bastards ever did was use drugs and run away from a fight and any hardship just like a coward boomer would do. Now the world is run by you degenerates and it is all the worse for it. Boomers are monsters that forsook their children, their country, their parents, their history. You think your sick history of drugs crap music and spread of disease will be remembered as those that fought and lived during the two world wars!? You'll be remembered as the generation that through excess brought the world into a new dark age that will take generations to fix. You were given the world on a diamond plate and you threw it away. May God have mercy on your souls and forgive you your sins, and pray your generation doesn't suffer the same abuse you showed the ones who came before you. Bitch about my generation all you want rat but remember you made us. The world will weep biter tears when the last of the greatest generation goes to sit at the right hand of God. The world will rejoice when the last boomer dies an ignoble death because only then can the world start it's great struggle to heal itself so keep your stolen money we don't want it, keep your worthless advice we don't need it because it is already proven false. Enjoy your last years death is waiting for you and it's patience is wearing out.

I'm old enough to remember the greatest generation: They are heroes and would give you the shirt on their back. I was raised by the silent generation: The would give you a shirt for an honest days work. I was educated and worked for the boomers: They would take your shirt, sell it to China, and tell you to quit being a slacker. I have had Y and M employees (would NEVER hire a boomer) they like the idea of shirt but their boomer parents told them they should ware stardust....just my two cents!

Anon, you're conflating GenX and Millennials. GenX is politically divided, like a pie sliced in half. GenXers are more likely to be in management positions, be married with kids and buy a home than older millenials. It's the early thirties millenial who is more likely to complain about dead weight boomers in the office who can't keep up with project management and boomers inflating property values for their own portfolios, making first time home ownership nearly as impossible as paying off a student loan. I didn't have student loan debt when I went to college in the 90s. We live in our "first home," which increased in value by 25% and is worth what a McMansion was worth 20 years ago. I don't think we could have afforded its current value, when we bought it. I don't blame millenials for being aggravated with boomers. There is something very wrong with a nation when it accommodates the elderly instead of the young.

To me, this topic is rather silly. No one who votes has any say who wins the election, and not everyone dropped out and became a hippy. I never embraced the feminist movement then or now.

I was born in 1951 to a working class father. Mom and Dad should have never been parents (so much for the wonderful Depression Era). They did not allow me to have music lessons, or other lessons even when my grandmother, a professional voice teacher, wanted to teach me. They did not want me to go to college; they thought it was stupid and as it would have made them look bad.

I ended up being a "late" bloomer as I had to wait until I was married (thank you husband!)to accomplish the BA, teaching degree, and music lessons --I paid for them when I worked and the kids were older. To my mother's disappointment, I ended up teaching myself other skills as well. My six adult children all have Degrees: Nursing (2), accounting, teaching, Food science, and optometrist.

My parents had issues but I rose above it. My kids appreciate everything my husband and I did for them, including how to be independent thinkers as well as various skills that will help them throughout their lives.

I do not blame my parent's generation for what happened in the 1940's and WW2, nor my grandmother's generation that experienced WW1 on top of WW2. Each generation should forge their way through life the best they can, work hard to attain real accomplishments, and love their kids.

The boomers are absolutely the most selfish generation to have ever existed! Trillions of dollars of debt, that is the economy I got to enjoy when graduating from high school. Boomers how much national debt did your sacrificing parents leave you? Oh yes the majority of the national debt was created by the wonderful hard working boomers. We graduated with millions of jobs that the boomers outsourced to China so we had less jobs available, the national debt so high, because of course the boomers deserved that new car they are paying with their credit card. Not even to mention that the opportunity they-boomers-had was given to them by the generation before. The opportunity we don't have was also given to us by the generation before. Also we were born into a generation of divorces, and selfish immoral parents, we were lach key kids rIsing ourselves, I think we did a damn good job too. Boomers where to busy buying a bigger house and newer car and chasing the mighty dollar to do any real parenting work. Thanks boomer but we certainly can't do any worse than your group has!

After reading this and the comments displayed on here, there truly is a disconnect between the Baby Boomer generation and the ones that came after them including their own kids.

Here is the problem I see with the Baby Boomer generation. For their whole life they have been trained to believe the government was going to take care of them. The believed in the whole scam of Social Security, Medicare, Pensions, and so on. That once they got older, the money the State took out in taxes will cover them to get money for the rest of their life (Conditions apply – must be 65 or older). Now, theyre finding out that the government stole their money, that they’ve spent it, that the promises that were told to them weren’t going to happen. Sorry to say it, but you should never let anyone look out for your best interests. Only you know your best interests.

As a result, their reply is “We want our money. The other generations can pay for it”

So, what theyre saying is, its not their problem someone else stole their money – but their kids and grandkids can pay for it. Do you see where the disconnect is? As a father of 2 children, I would never demand my kids take care of me. Maybe they would want to, which would be great, but to do it by use of force is wrong. Governments only get money from people by threatening action if they don’t comply. The younger generations see this, and don’t want a part of it. The older generations are so out of touch with reality its not even funny.

Here's something that spells it out for your old, weathered, acid-soaked brains. http://www.businessinsider.com/why-baby-boomers-are-so-selfish-2016-6

Also, I love the commenter who posted that Gen Xers are "An over-generalizing generation". Ha! Because that's not a generalization....

Fact is, baby boomers are a legend in their own minds. They perceive themselves to be the great white hope and expect a fucking cookie for their failed, fake niceties. Sadly, they're as irrelevant now as they ever were. Go live out your golden years fat and happy, you're the last ones who'll see Social Security, but then, I'm sure that doesn't even cross your mind. Sleep stupid, boomers.

All of my guy friends who have or had Boomer Dads we have one thing in common. Ours Dads never spent time with us. I am 42 years old. I grew up in the suburbs. I grew up with many childhood memories. My family always went on vacations and we never had hard times or any abuse. My dad never spent anytime with me. All he did was work and come home and do stuff around the house. We always had to be quiet because my parents sleep was too important then us being kids. I realized when I was 6 my Dad did not want to do anything with me at all. I wanted to join the Cubs scouts. He told me i could not swim so I cannot join. His excuse of not having to spend his free time to take me somewhere. we used to go camping and he would go back to work or hang out with adults. Never tought me shit about anything. As I got older pre teens. All he would say when I complained about something was do not fuck it up. I started to get very angry. In my teens I started to roam the streets and vandalize everything in my site. He busted me once at 2am roaming the streets. All he said was go home. I ignored him. I am lucky I never got cought. I went into the Army and would go home every Christmas and my Dad was working and still would not spend time with me. long story short. When I had kids 4 years ago. I told my Dad I will never be like him only the hard worker and provider I would follow from him. I also said I will always do things with my kids and teach them things. He was dumbfounded. He would not accept responsibility about what he did. He blamed his upbringing being poor and was given a used bike for his birthday and it scarred him to one day when he had kids to provide well and live a middle upper class life and Not have his kids worry about food or a roof over their heads. I told him bullshit. You were the father who never let me have any fun anytime I had friends who would spend the nite and we would get yelled at because you could not sleep. I said you never cared about your kids having fun while missing out on sleep. You know what? 90 percent of men I meet grew up this same way are we are all affected. I hate this generation of father's who worked and left their wives and siblings to play with each other. Fuck you

My god, man. It's almost like your story is my story. My baby boomer father also never spent any time and was always working. Basically, our generation was raised by the internet and video games. That's why so many of us are kind of fucked up. We never had any male adult role models. That's another reason why so many millenial men are such pussies. They never had a male authority figure to put discipline into them.

Boomers have pretty much fucked up the world and to be honest, I don't think the world will change until they are dead.

And yea I am sick of the constant stupid TV shows talking about how "glorious the 60s was". We don't give a shit about your hippie communist crap. You idiots started radical liberalism and you're proud of it!

About Me

I’m a Baby Boomer, part of the pig-in-a-python demographic group that has brought so many changes to America – and will continue to do so until we cash our last Social Security check. I had a typical baby boomer career. I attended college, went to business school, worked for several companies, then in my mid-50s was laid off. Meanwhile, I got divorced, and my two kids left for college. Now I live with my significant other, B, who has two children of her own. We live in the New York area, a convenient stopover for our four peripatetic 20-somethings. And I produce this blog Sightings Over Sixty which covers health, finance, retirement – concerns of people who realize that somehow they have grown up.